Page 13 of Under the Island Moon
A Haunted Tea
Chapter 1
Trina rushed upstairs to the suite to find her husband, Rhett. “Please don’t let him be on a call. Please don’t let him be on a call,” she murmured to herself along the way.
She’d told him she didn’t need help decorating for tomorrow’s first annual Haunted Tea, but she’d just heard the news that Molly was pregnant and she didn’t want her friend overdoing it. The more hands available for decorating, the sooner they would all be done and Molly could relax.
Trina remembered the early days of her own pregnancy last year and the big swings between bursts of energy and sudden sleepiness in her first trimester. If there was anything Trina could do to pamper Molly, she would make it happen.
Pausing at the door, she listened for any indication that their son was awake. He should still be napping, but so far each day of his first six months was a new adventure. She swiped her keycard and walked inside. It didn’t sound as if Rhett was in a meeting, and when she peeked into his office, she didn’t see him at his desk.
That left the one most likely place where she’d find him: sitting with Marco on the balcony. She headed that way and there he was in the rocker under the shade umbrella, with Marcosleeping hard on his chest. The two of them made such a picture she hated to interrupt.
Stepping outside, she was rewarded with her husband’s magnetic smile. “I’m trying not to be jealous,” she said, kissing his cheek first, then their son’s head.
“Of me or him?”
Rhett knew her so well. “Hm. Right now? I’m mostly jealous of you.”
He shot her a glare. “I’m not giving him up. You had him all to yourself for nine months.”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t dare ask you to sacrifice so much. But I do have a request.”
“You need help with setup.” Not a question, and the gleam in his eyes warned her he was well-informed.
“Who told you?”
Rhett grinned. “Once Molly told Miles she was pregnant, Nina told Boone and her mom, Lila told Travis and her grandmother, and the happy news made the rounds in record time.”
“This island,” Trina mused. “It makes it so hard to have secrets or surprises.” She had a secret of her own she was working double-time to keep under wraps until the big reveal.
Rhett tsked. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he teased. “Did you really expect to be the first one to tell me Molly is pregnant?”
“Yes.” She waved it off. “Maybe. It doesn’t matter. I’m so happy for them. I think it took a little longer than she expected. Miles must be over the moon.”
“You got that right. He’s already a great dad, and so looking forward to being involved from day one. Who gave you the news?”
“Sharon. She’s coming to help decorate too.”
“Always good to have an artist on call.”
“Well, if I can’t claim the best wedding coordinator in the business, at least I have the best decorator.”
“Bonus points for you,” Rhett said. “What time do you need me downstairs?”
“Everybody will meet here around four o’clock. With so many helpers, we should have the setup complete within a couple of hours.”
“Will that throw off your count for the dinner you planned for the setup crew?” he asked.
“Not a bit. I’ve spoken with the kitchen. They’ve adjusted and will have buffet service ready in the small private dining room. We’ll have to-go boxes available in case anyone wants to leave early and put their feet up.”
“Like me?”
“Of course, my love,” she crooned. “Just like you.”
“And when does your guest of honor arrive?”
Naturally, she’d told her husband about her secret celebrity invite for the tea. Even if she’d wanted to keep him in the dark, when she’d received confirmation her favorite author would attend, she’d been too excited to hold it in. “Late tonight. You cannot tell anybody he’s coming. I want them to be surprised.”
